# China’s top-secret spaceplane can’t hide in low-Earth orbit

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/chinas-top-secret-spaceplane-cant-hide-in-low-earth-orbit/
- Published: 2026-10-27T22:04:50+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-27T23:03:56+00:00
- Original publisher: Ars Technica
- Original article: https://arstechnica.com/space/2026/10/chinas-top-secret-spaceplane-cant-hide-in-low-earth-orbit/
- Topics: Art, Asia, Culture, Space, Technology, World

## Key points

- A commercial satellite captured a detailed image of China’s spaceplane.
- China has flown four missions since 2020.
- Tracking data suggests it recaptured a small satellite twice.

## Summary

A US commercial satellite photographed China’s secretive, uncrewed spaceplane in orbit in 2024, and the full-resolution image has now been released in an unclassified US Defence Intelligence Agency assessment. The sighting shows that commercial Earth-imaging satellites can also track objects in space, while offering a rare detailed view of a vehicle whose missions remain largely undisclosed.

The Chinese craft resembles the US Space Force’s X-37B, with delta wings, payload bay doors and solar arrays. China has flown four missions since 2020, lasting up to nine months; the current mission launched in February. Open-source tracking suggests it released and recaptured a small satellite twice during the summer. The DIA says spaceplanes’ manoeuvrability may suit some missions better than conventional satellites, but the report gives little detail about the craft’s purpose.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.